A Mood Apart
by ilovetvalot
Summary: Follows "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors". How does Dave react when JJ is injured at the end of "The Performer". Will be two chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N - This story is a continuation of "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors". It is a post-ep for "The Performer". It will be two chapters.**

**A Mood Apart**

**Chapter One**

Freaking vampire freaks, JJ grumbled to herself as she rested her head against the thin pillow behind her head, squinting up at the glaring light above her head. She had a freaking head wound for God's sake, you'd have thought these so-called medical professionals could dim the glaring fluorescent lights overhead. Squeezing her eyes closed, she reminded herself to breathe as another wave of nausea flowed over her.

She really ought to have hit that sick bastard harder with the shovel. No, scratch that…she should have just shot him, she mentally groaned. Straining her ears, she heard voices in the distance growing louder as they approached her room. And one of those voices was distinctly familiar…and she cringed for an altogether different reason.

Because the man she loved was scared. And pissed. Two emotions that she knew the larger than life legend did NOT respond well to…especially when she was the one in pain. She still remembered his pale face and trembling hands reaching for her as he'd knelt on the cold ground in front of her in the unsub's backyard. She could still hear his hoarsely ordered, "Prentiss, get her out of here," as he'd stroked her cheek gently before turning his gun on her attacker.

It seemed as if only moments later he was crawling into the ambulance beside her as she'd argued with the paramedic to just release her from care. One glare from him was all it had taken to quell her complaints. He'd held her hand silently all through the ride it took to travel the short distance to the hospital, never releasing her once as he'd sat on the uncomfortable looking bench seat clenching his jaw, staring down at the caked blood on her face.

She'd wanted to know how the apprehension had gone. But honestly, she'd known anything she asked him at that moment might snap what was left of his tenuous control. So, she'd wisely kept her mouth shut, simply allowing herself to be comforted by the feel of his strong, warm hand surrounding hers.

Things had moved quickly after they'd arrived at the hospital. The doctor had insisted Dave wait outside while he performed the necessary examination and ran the obligatory tests despite Rossi's very vocal opposing protests. But, evidently, for once, the doctor's will was greater than her lover's. Or rather, in the interest of time, Dave had simply surrendered to inevitability. Brushing a tender kiss against her lips, he'd promised that he wouldn't be far and he'd be back by her side as soon as humanly possible. And with one last glare at her doctor and a harshly ordered, "Take care of her!" he'd left the room.

Which carried her forward to this particular moment. Hearing his deep voice just outside in the hallway, she sighed. She knew he was questioning and re-questioning everything the doctor had already told her. It was his way. And given the fact that she'd probably managed to steal ten years of his life from him this afternoon, she knew she wouldn't have the heart to chastise him for it.

Hearing the door swing gently open, she turned his head toward him as he crossed the room to her in two long strides, his hand immediately capturing hers. "You scared the shit out of me, Jareau," he said with his characteristic soft bluntness.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, her words sounding loud in her ears in the small room. "I told Reid where I was going."

"Yeah," Dave nodded once, tightening his fingers around hers. "And I'm gonna kick the kid's ass for allowing you to go alone."

They both knew he wouldn't, but nevertheless, she felt obligated to try and soothe his ruffled feathers. "It wasn't his fault. He…we….had no indication that she was our unsub," JJ said, trying to sit up as she defended her friend.

Easing her back down against the thin mattress of the bed, Dave shook his head. "Don't try to move, Jen. The doc says you need to stay still for another hour or so," he whispered, smoothing his hand over her hair gently. Seeing her pained grimace as his fingers eased over her injured skull, he winced, pulling back his hand quickly. "Morgan and Hotch should have let me shoot that bastard."

"No need. He was unconscious. I knocked him out," JJ said proudly.

"Yeah," Dave winked, smiling faintly. "You did, babe. Although, I think a bullet would have been more effective," he shrugged.

"We're supposed to take 'em alive it at all possible, Dave," JJ muttered with a roll of her blue eyes.

"There are exceptions to each and every rule, sweetheart," Dave murmured, leaning forward and brushing her forehead with a gentle kiss. "You had no business going in there alone, Jen. No business at all," he added, his tone hardening as he spoke.

"Dave, I thought I was talking to a grieving friend of the deceased, not an unsub," JJ said, trying to justify her actions valiantly.

"That assumption very nearly got you killed," Dave growled low in his throat , his memory still fresh and full of visions of the blood running down the side of her face. "Shit, woman, you didn't even have one of the local LEO's with you, damn it."

"I didn't see a reason for it at the time," JJ replied evenly. "You have to admit, none of us saw this plot twist coming."

"Is that what I'd have had to tell Henry, Jen?" Dave asked sharply, his fingers tightening on her wrist unconsciously. "Mommy didn't come home because nobody thought anything appeared suspicious? You think he'd settle for that?"

"Stop," she whispered as tears filled her eyes. It was bad enough with the pain in her head…using her son against her was cruel. She knew she'd made a mistake. She didn't need Dave to drive the point home for her. Unfortunately, the man that loved her had other ideas and he wasn't shy about sharing them.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – Stay tuned for the next story in this series, "Reluctance". Please read & review. As ever, we don't own Criminal Minds.**

**A Mood Apart**

**Chapter Two**

"We've got a kid waiting for us at home, Jennifer. He depends on us. You're a media coordinator…you aren't even supposed to be near this shit! You're supposed to be talking to the press," he continued, his tone low and dangerous. Looking away from her, Dave shut his eyes tightly for a moment as visions of how badly this could have turned out flashed through his mind. Christ, he'd have never survived it. They'd have had to bury him with her. And he didn't even want to think about the position it would have left the little boy that he'd grown to love like his own son in. In the last month, all their lives had only become more deeply entwined since making love to her in Kansas City. They hadn't spent a single night apart since. And now, this. Hell, he was seriously debating chaining her to his side.

Opening his eyes again, they landed on her wan face. "Jen?"

"Just stop. I know my job, Rossi. Part of it is talking to a victim's family and friends. I was doing my job as a trained agent with the FBI and as media coordinator for this unit," JJ replied, her words clipped and precise as she fought down tears.

"You did it without backup," he insisted. "Against every procedure and rule I know about, Jen," he continued, unwilling to back down.

"So is our relationship. Would you like me to refuse to do that, too? You want me to obey your precious rules, Rossi?" JJ retorted, blue eyes flashing angrily.

"Don't you dare!" Dave hissed. "Don't threaten me like that, JJ," Dave ordered, trying to reign in his temper as he stared into those sapphire eyes he loved so much. Didn't this beautiful woman realize that she and her son were all that kept him sane now…that without either one of them, he'd lose his mind?

"I'm not threatening you. But I have a valid point. Admit it," she returned evenly. She understood his argument, but there was no way she'd lay there and let him admonish her like a naughty child. She demanded respect. By God, she'd earned it.

Dropping his chin to his chest, he breathed deeply. Damn her…he hated when she was right. "I admit it," he grudgingly said with a nod. "But those are two very different things. Our relationship doesn't put you in physical danger. Now, admit that," he countered.

Swallowing, JJ saw his point. She hated his point. But, even she could admit it was valid. "Fine. Admitted," she nodded, lapsing into silence as he continued holding her hand.

After several minutes of silence, the only sounds coming from outside the hospital room door, he finally whispered, "I could have lost you. By default, I'd have lost Henry, too. I couldn't live with that, Jen. I just couldn't."

"I'm going to be okay. You talked to the doctor. I'll be fine in a few days," she consoled, tugging his hand to pull him to her.

"This time….but these risks you take," he breathed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against their linked hands.

"It was an isolated incident, Dave. You know I normally never have myself in that kind of position," JJ said softly, dropping her other hand to bury in the soft hair at the back of his head.

"Well, I might have given you something to keep you busy in the media relations department while you were off having your little adventure," Dave mumbled.

She head his muffled words faintly and cringed. Oh, God, who had he shot? "What have you done, Rossi?" she asked suspiciously.

"You can't get mad at me," he said carefully, watching her face. "I mean, it isn't like I killed anybody."

Breathing a sigh of relief as she let some of the tenseness flow from her body at his declaration, she tilted her head. "Okay, so cold-blooded murder is off the list. That's a weight off my shoulders. So, what DID you do?"

"First, tell me you won't get angry," he bargained, measuring her expression.

"Dave," JJ warned. "What have you done?" Watching his face, JJ felt a heavy sense of foreboding descend around the room. Gulping, she stared into his dark eyes.

"Say it first," he said defensively. He knew her words would be worthless…but he'd still like a little false assurance first.

"Fine," JJ huffed, "Dave I will not get angry," she murmured, lying through her teeth.

Frowning, he muttered, "I don't think I believe you." She wasn't going to be angry….she was gonna be homicidal.

"Dave!"

"We had to have a small press conference in your absence. We needed a distraction to get our popular suspect in the police station. And Hotch nominated me to go out there and say something."

"Oh God!" JJ groaned, squeezing her eyes closed. What the hell had Hotch been thinking? Every single person on their team knew that David Rossi was the last man you sent out for a press conference. Hell, Reid would have been a better option! "What did you say, Rossi?" she asked quietly, eyes still closed as she waited for the coming bomb to drop on her head.

"I might have announced the top ten reasons I hated Los Angeles a la David Letterman," Dave admitted hesitantly. "In my defense, I was trying to buy time."

"You didn't?" JJ gasped, eyes widening.

"I sorta did," Dave murmured guiltily. "I needed to buy a few minutes for Morgan and Emily to get the whack job into the station. I was flying blind."

"And you couldn't have plugged your latest book?" JJ wailed, flopping back in the bed and wincing again as her injured head protested the movement.

"I couldn't do something for personal gain," he huffed. "I did the best I could with the material I had," he added, casting a quick look up at her pinched face. Waiting a few seconds, he asked, "You angry?"

"No, Dave, I'm not angry," JJ sighed. Rising in the bed, she grabbed the box of tissues from the nightstand, throwing it at him. "I'm livid!" she screeched. Pointing at him accusingly, she hissed, "You know the rules…you NEVER talk to the press."

"Hotch told me to," Dave declared belligerently, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And if Hotch told you to jump off a bridge?" JJ retorted sharply.

"How high is it?" Dave asked with a grin.

"I'm going to kill you," JJ groaned. "No, wait, I DON'T want to kill you. That's too kind. I want to make you WISH you were dead."

Rising to hover over her prone form, Dave raised a dark brow. "Babe, as long as you're alive to inflict the torture, I'll be there."

Watching as his lips descended to hers under the bright lights of the hospital room, JJ sighed. Maybe she wouldn't kill him. David Rossi did have his uses.

_**FINIS**_


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